Category Archives: Uncategorized

Warm Holiday Wishes


As the holidays approach and 2017 winds to a close, we reflect on another successful year for Gamut One Studios and can’t help but to be thankful. We are thankful for the wonderful, talented group of people we’ve worked with for so long.  We are thankful for our friends and clients that continue to trust us to create great photography and video for their businesses. We’re especially thankful for the health and well being of our families.This year, that feeling of thankfulness has lead us to support Open Arms of Minnesota with a holiday donation in honor of our clients. Open Arms is a fantastic non-profit that delivers fresh, nutritious meals to people struggling with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and HIV. We are grateful for the great work they are doing in our communities and thank you for your support of that mission.


Not wanting to stop there, we also rolled up our sleeves and donned the hair nets for an afternoon in November, to help Open Arms in their very busy kitchen. We peeled, chopped and packaged meals to help struggling families around the Twin Cities. For that afternoon, our G1 Crew managed to chop and peel over a 100 pounds of parsnips and onions, pack 80 sloppy joe meals, and 480 beef stroganoff meals. It was a busy and fulfilling afternoon for all. Bill and Bryce claimed that they shed tears of joy, not related to the onions. And yes, we came away with all our trigger fingers in tact.


Open Arms will also be our charity of choice for our 2018 Super Bowl Party.  We hope you’ll help us continue to support this wonderful organization doing such appreciated work. Stay tuned for more party info. soon.

All of us at Gamut One Studios wish you and your family a warm, and joyful holiday season and a prosperous new year.  We look forward to seeing you again in 2018.

2015 Project Highlights –

Bill Bartlett Embraces the Cold!  Exterior Shots in Extreme Conditions

Bill_01

From his mild mannered and gracious disposition, you‘d never guess that Bill Bartlett is G1’s go to guy when we need a tenacious, unshakable shooter with some spectacular photography (and meteorological) skills.

Again proving that there is no such thing as ordinary in his photography, Bill tackled dynamic “landscape” images for Guardian Energy throughout the Midwest.  Fingers numb in blasting arctic winds and below zero temps,  Bill managed to snap awe inspiring shots during early morning and late evening hours to maximize the existing interior/exterior facility lighting and dramatic sky scenes.

Bill_02
As if the weather and early hours, weren’t enough, Bill was hoisted high on a scaffolding precariously waiting to catch just the right angle and lighting for the perfect shot.  And, as you can see from the photos, Bill scoffed at the conditions and pulled out some amazing shots in spite of it all.

Bill_03
Who doesn’t love a cute animal photo? Gamut One Studios’ Greg Kamin taps his ‘animal’ side to capture the shots.

Social media sites are constantly flooded with cute, funny and sweet pet photos that keep us smiling, make us laugh aloud or at least give us a break from our daily doldrums.

Greg03
Which is why it is always a treat for Gamut One Studios to shoot  both four legged friends and human subjects for Patterson Companies, a market leading dental and animal health company based in St. Paul, MN.

While those adorable and hilarious social media pet photos are a blast for blowing off real work, professional images of animals are a whole ‘nother game of fetch.  After working with Patterson Companies’ animal health division for over 15 years, our own resident animal whisperer/photographer, Greg Kamin, is a master at capturing images that convey the quality and professionalism Patterson delivers for their customers.

Greg04
While on location in Chandler, Arizona, Greg photographed Andrea Stickland DVM, the staff, and a host of fuzzy felines and canines for Patterson Vet magazine.  Sounds like cuddly good fun but, did we forget to mention the iguana?

 

Dewey Koshenina’s Take on Video:  Did You Just Ship Your Prospect an $80,000 proposal?

Consider the infinite number of times each and every day that videos are seen on You Tube, Vimeo and other channels around the world.  What would it cost to reach those same viewers with a printed and shipped version of the same content? $80,000? $100K? Fortunately, Gamut One Studios’ videographer extraordinaire, Dewey Koshenina has a better way to reach your prospects.

With a recent video shoot at Meier Tool, a manufacturing facility in Anoka, Dewey and his team were able to communicate more than just the capabilities of the company.  With passionate Meier employee interviews and cleverly captured facility shots, G1 produced a video that showcased the company’s culture and its number one asset— its people and the pride they take in their work. In addition to visually featuring Meier’s people, culture and capabilities in a succinct and effective video, nobody had to spend $80K to send the message.

And, for the record, Gamut One Studios has produced stunning, high end videos as well as cost-efficient ones, too, but we’ve yet to be Oscar-nominated or bill $80K for one video.  Of course, we are open to either option!

Dodging Darts & Drones: How Jeff Schmieg’s ‘Dad’ Experience helped to Corral the Chaos on the Hovertech FX shoot.

When Marketing Architects brought their Hovertech FX shoot to Gamut One Studios, we knew Jeff’s calm, cool and collected manner would be the perfect match for capturing the action with a gaggle of boys shooting dart guns and piloting drones throughout our studio.

 

HoverTech_Comp

Sure enough, the multi-day shoot for Marketing Architect’s newly launched retail website, was both crazy and fun.  Jeff proved once and again that his keen photographer’s eye and ‘child management’ skills worked well together to capture both the boys’ bona fide grins and rapid pace of flying darts and drones!

Blip

Then, taking a full 360, Jeff completely changed up the studio’s wild and crazy atmosphere to set the stage for Marketing Architects’ Bright Eyes shoot featuring adorable ‘bright-eyed’ stuffed animals and sweet little girls. Lights were dimmed and dreamy bedroom sets in candy colored pastels made for some incredibly cute photos of girls and their Bright Eyes stuffed animals.

BrightEyes

Just like the Boy Scouts are always prepared and the National Guard is always ready, always there, experienced Dads like Jeff make extraordinary photographers!

Problem Solving Photography

With an aggressive, long term marketing plan in place,  Medivators’ Creative Director, Sonia Leonard, wanted to capture a variety of images on location including people and environment as well as complex product photography at their Houston, Texas R&D lab for use in an array of marketing applications.  Recognizing that Medivators’ image needs were widely varied in theme, style and final use, Gamut One knew that all images would still need a consistent, finished result from an experienced, versatile photographer.

In order to streamline the process for our busy client (recent merger, new product line), Gamut One photographer, Bill Bartlett, who has over 25 years of expertise photographing medical products and more, helped Medivators set an efficient photo shoot agenda for a rigorous five day shoot.

Bill designed a plan with the Medivators’ marketing team that would create a substantial library of proprietary images in a broad range of themes and styles that could later be used individually or combined in detailed composites to control position and focus as well as allowing flexibility in the future to re-configure the elements for a unique finished image.  This is an effective way to visually create and express a marketing message such as showcasing Medivators’ high level of personal service and detailed product in a single composite.

For example, in the below image, the model, background and product were all shot at different times with their own precise staging structure to ensure the perspective, lighting and composition for both images flowed with one another.

Gamut One Studios and their clients often find exceptional value in this approach for building a client’s internal library that can be used in a variety of applications for long-term use.  The opposite approach, where companies purchase stock images will often result in inefficient spending, lack of personalized images also commonly used by competitors and poor usage options for long-term, multiple uses.  Gamut One Studios’ photographers will always work with our clients to meet all their needs in a carefully planned and efficiently executed photo shoot.

Additional to thorough planning, pre-production meetings and shoot day execution, the final piece of the Medivators’ photo shoot involved Bill’s evaluation and adjustments of images to create an essential compilation of finished, professional images.  Medivators now has a collection of high quality, original images that will be useful long term in diverse applications.

Do you have a photography dilemma or are you wondering if a photo shoot could be in your budget?  It will be worth your time to contact us at Gamut One Studios and we can walk you through the various options for achieving the best value and the highest quality, custom images that your business needs.

Super Bowl Teams: You Pick ‘Em Challenge

Which teams will meet in Super Bowl XLVII?

The Seahawks with a rookie from Wis. against
the veteran Manning and the Broncos?
Or every Viking fan’s favorite choice… the Packers?

Take the G1 Studios’ Pick ‘Em Challenge and make your
2 team picks
for a chance to WIN your choice of:

AN NFL JERSEY (you pick the team)

OR

A Pack of 5 Passes for All-Day UNLIMITED Rides at
NICKELODEON UNIVERSE @ MOA.

Deadline for entries is 3 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 12th

2 Options for Entry:

Post your Guesses on our Facebook Page
or write in the Leave a Reply box below and click “post comment.”

In the case of multiple correct picks, we will hold a random drawing to determine the winner.
Winner will be posted to our blog after the Conference Championship games.

Capturing the Screams

Put yourself in Bill’s shoes. Recently he set out to photograph the atmosphere of Nickelodeon Universe, a world-class amusement park. The best way to comprehend the challenge Bill faced is to visit the park at Mall of America. As proven in Nickelodeon’s 2012 marketing campaign, “We Want Your Scream,” the place is an overwhelming, kid’s nirvana. Bill’s recent assignment was to capture it all.

As you may know, the campaign went on to become an award-winning success. Just how did Gamut One contribute to this brand-building blockbuster? Well, Bill’s photography figures prominently in the campaign. Here’s how he operates…

First of all, Bill plans everything possible. Clients often ask: What contributes to a successful photographic shoot? The answer: Technical execution is critical, but the key to great photography and successful integration with the overall marketing campaign comes down to planning.

At Mall of America there were time constraints due to scheduling. Additionally, Mall of America’s enormous skylights change the lighting minute-by-minute. Navigating the model group through the rides required upfront planning and careful on-site management. Timing was a constant consideration. Allowing a motion sick kid to take one more “drop” on the Rock Bottom Drop (it’s exactly what it sounds like!) wouldn’t get Bill the shot he needed. Because the opportunity to capture genuine emotion is fleeting, successful shots don’t just happen, they are planned.

Understanding the key client objective is critical. During pre-shoot discussions with the client about the goals for “We Want Your Scream,” the mandate became pretty clear: capture the scream. To do so, Bill pushed the limit. Since he was dealing with high speeds and excitement, he had to board the rides. Riding backwards on a roller coaster eight times to get the perfect shot? Been there. Done that.

When Bill walked through the amusement park for a pre-shoot visit he was immediately struck by the magnitude of technical aspects the job would face. Each ride presented different obstacles and opportunities due to the layout and pure emotions of the ride models. Through utilization of stop action photography techniques, Bill was able to freeze flowing hair and capture peak emotions. Tactics such as slow shutter speed and effective panning illustrated the speed and raw power of the ride experience.

When Bill starts having fun it’s contagious. By participating with the group he gained insight into their experience and captured the unique essence of each ride. At Gamut One, having fun is more than a method of meeting client goals, it’s a competitive advantage.

And that’s the story of how Bill took more speed than a photographer can handle (to this day he can’t look at the Splat – O – Sphere, without getting “that sinking feeling”). To keep up with our adventures in photography subscribe to our RSS feed.

Countdown to XLVI G1

Which teams will meet in Super Bowl XLVI?

Will the Packers do it again? Do the Broncos have a chance?

Make your 2 team picks as a comment to post on our blog
for a chance to win your choice of:

AN NFL JERSEY (you pick the team)

OR

A FAMILY AMC MOVIE FUN PACK including:
4 tickets and concessions gift card

Deadline for entries is 3 p.m. Saturday, January 14th

In the case of multiple correct picks, we will hold a random drawing to determine the winner.
Winner will be posted to our blog after the Conference Championship games.

Don’t miss our annual Gamut One Studios Superbowl Party!
Clients, friends, and family “tailgate” in our studio, watch the game on our 35′ cove wall, and kids jump & play around in our interactive fun zone equipped with an inflatable obstacle course. Want to bring along a few guests? You are welcome. Please see the invitation with more details andRSVP HERE.

If you haven’t yet… “Like” us!
You may also pick your teams by leaving your

comments on our Facebook Page.